Bow River Circuit - March 2013
We came back from 10 days in the UK on 4th March and as soon as we stepped in the door of the house I laid down with a fever. I stayed that way for 56 hours of sweating/shivering and bloody misery until it finally broke. Sarah looked after me though I didn't eat at all and drunk only very small amounts.
A nice little flu/bronchitis combo had really floored me, it took two weeks before I could eat normally again and two more before I finally had the energy to get out of the house. We took a short ride down to the Bow river to walk this circuit for my first fresh air in a month.
We start out in Bowness Park, go along the river to Bowmont Park, cross the bridge to Baker Park and back along the opposite bank until crossing again via a different bridge back to Bowness Park. It is a circuit we do often and we never tire of it.
Starting at the boating lake it looks like it will be a while before any boats are paddling around here.
A nice little flu/bronchitis combo had really floored me, it took two weeks before I could eat normally again and two more before I finally had the energy to get out of the house. We took a short ride down to the Bow river to walk this circuit for my first fresh air in a month.
We start out in Bowness Park, go along the river to Bowmont Park, cross the bridge to Baker Park and back along the opposite bank until crossing again via a different bridge back to Bowness Park. It is a circuit we do often and we never tire of it.
Starting at the boating lake it looks like it will be a while before any boats are paddling around here.
You can tell the ice is think if Sarah will go on it, she is out of the winter clothes now but still won't part with the warmth of the winter boots!
Many of the paths are cleared of snow and ice but some of the ones close to the river are treacherous and we have some real 'bambi on ice' moments during the round.....but both of us manage to stay upright.
When we get down to the river the shoreline still holds a good amount of thick ice though many icebergs are floating past so clearly it is reducing day by day now.
even right out at the edge of the ice it is strong enough to drive a car on, it's over a foot thick though the water is running powerfully underneath it, I'm sure it won't be around much longer.
it's great to be out messing around by the river, enjoying the fresh air and spending some time with Sarah without coughing all over her.
in sheltered places there is still a good depth of snow and Sarah likes to demonstrate why she needed those winter boots.
The bridge down at Bowmont park is a great spot to look down on the river and try to spot fishes, the water is around 4 feet deep here but so clear you can see the bottom as if it were only 4 inches deep.
This shot looking downstream at the rail bridge shows just how clear the water is though we still didn't see any fishes.
Once across the river the south facing bank and associated pathway are almost clear of snow and ice and it is a very comfortable walk through the dappled shade of the trees.
At Baker Park we are greeted first by the statue of two bears facing off, then soon after is a beautiful amphitheatre where weddings are held in summer and picnics are a common sight on most weekends from now until next winter.
a short while later is a second sculpture by the same artist of a mother and cub, then further along is a 'disc golf' course that is always busy during the spring/summer months too. Disc golf is a golf game played with 'frisbees' instead of ball and club, you still have a 'par' for each hole and the course overall but the hole is a net made of chains suspended about 4 feet from the ground. We don't have it at all in the UK but I have seen it in the US and Canada in many places.
We're soon at our up stream crossing point which can be seen through the trees here suspended beneath the Stoney Trail road bridge, a great little addition to the construction project that links up three lovely little parks to form the river circuit.
it never ceases to amaze me that something as robust as this little footbridge actually moves underfoot and undulates as you walk on it, I guess the fact that it is suspended by cables is the reason but it still feels a bit strange.
looking upstream once across the bridge shows the ice breaking away and a couple of 'bergs' heading downstream. As we watch the 'bergs' reach the corner they crash into the broken section with incredible force lifting it up and tearing away the boulders.
the 'bergs' bounce off and continue their way downstream clattering into the bridge supports as they go.
soon we are back into Bowness Park and the bridge is now only just visible upstream. On the north facing banks the snow still lingers and contrasts beautifully with the bright blue sky.
one final shot of the river and a couple of Canada geese on a passing 'berg' as the long shadows dance across the water and the temperatures begin to fall. We are back at the car and have taken about an hour, but as I slump into the seat for the short drive home I feel like I've walked a marathon.................... but after a month, it really was good to be outdoors again.